Panoramic imaging head, and imaging system using same

ABSTRACT

A panoramic photography head for easily photographing a plurality of images having different orientations without any vignetting in order to generate a panoramic image and to provide a photography system using the panoramic photography head are provided. A panoramic photography system includes a digital camera body that has a lens having a predetermined field of view at a front end thereof and can photograph a digital image; a panoramic photography head connected to a lower surface of the digital camera body; and a legged platform connected to a lower surface of the panoramic photography head. The panoramic photography head includes: an approximately horizontal upper plate having a second connector for realizing non-rotatably connection to the first connector; a vignetting preventing extension that is bent downward from the upper plate to secure a predetermined gap so as to prevent the panoramic photography head and the legged platform from being photographed in an image; and a lower plate that extends approximately horizontally and toward a front side from a lower end of the vignetting preventing extension and has a legged platform connector for connection to the legged platform. The legged platform connector is positioned vertically under a nodal point of the lens.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a panoramic photography head forphotographing a plurality of images used for generating a panoramicimage and a photography system thereof, and more particularly, to atechnique for easily realizing high-quality photographing whilepreventing vignetting during photographing.

BACKGROUND ART

A technique of photographing a plurality of images having differentorientations using a digital camera to generate a panoramic image havinga wider field of view than one image by image processing of combiningthe image data of the plurality of images is known. Various methods ofutilizing such panoramic image are known such as expressing the views ofthe interior or the surrounding of an object in an easy-to-understandmanner as an advertisement of a real estate and showing an exhibition ofvisually reproducing the space of a museum rather than showing just abird's-eye view image as in the related art.

With the spread of high-performance terminals such as smartphones havinga digital photographing function, anyone can easily photograph an imageand share the image on the Internet or the like, and a general demandfor generating attractive contents is very high.

“360 Panorama” (see Non-Patent Literature 1) (product of Occipital Inc.)is an example of an application that provides a function of allowingusers to photograph a panoramic image using a smartphone. With thisapplication, it is possible to reproduce an image in an arbitrarydirection from a photographing point by continuously photographing anumber of images adjacent in vertical and horizontal directions using adigital photographing function and pasting the images to the innersurface of an imaginary sphere by image processing in a main body.

Such a simple panoramic image generation function is sufficient forenjoying as a hobby but has a problem in that the image quality is lowfor using as commercial advertisements or exhibitions in a museum. Thus,equipment in which a digital single-lens reflex camera having awide-angle lens attached thereto and a special head are combined isgenerally used for such a purpose of photographing. For example, “NodalNinja 4” (see Non-Patent Literature 2) (product of Fanotec Corporation)is a head mounted on a tripod, capable of holding a digital single-lensreflex camera at an arbitrary angle and fixing the camera so that anodal point of the lens corresponds to the center of rotation.

The following patent literatures disclose apparatuses for photographingpanoramic images.

First, Patent Literature 1 proposes a camera for photographing panoramicpictures in which a rotation jig of which the center of rotation is at afirst principal point of a lens is arranged. The rotation jig is atechnique of allowing users to photograph panoramic pictures easily, anda user rotates a camera body with his or her hands using the rotationjig to perform photographing sequentially. Patent Literature 1 disclosesthat a rotation angle is determined using a rotation angle meter or anorientation is determined using a stopper or the like that prevents arotation of a camera from a set rotation angle.

The technique disclosed in Patent Literature 2 proposes that a nodalpoint of a principal lens is set to the position of a tripod attachmentscrew hole formed in a camera itself. Thus, a special jig for aligningthe nodal point to the center of rotation is not required, and anaccurate panoramic picture material with no parallax can be photographedusing a panoramic photography head and a tripod.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

-   Patent Literature 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.    H05-188506-   Patent Literature 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.    2006-178097 Non-Patent Literature-   Non-Patent Literature 1: Internet URL (http://occipital.com/360/app)    retrieved Feb. 12, 2013-   Non-Patent Literature 2: Internet URL    (http://shop.nodalninja.com/nodal-ninja-4-1/) retrieved Feb. 12,    2013

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

In the conventional techniques, although a jig for rotating on avertical line of the nodal point of a lens is proposed, the head used ina digital single-lens reflex camera has a complex structure and has adrawback in handling. Moreover, a head in which the position of a tripodattachment screw hole is on the vertical line of the nodal point is goodfor carrying. However, unless the head is placed on a tripod, it isdifficult to photograph images while rotating and the usage thereof islimited.

In particular, when an ultrawide-angle lens is used, the occurrence ofvignetting in which a jig, a tripod, the body of a photographer, or thelike are imaged is a great problem. Conventionally, respective portionsare configured to be adjustable to cope with a camera body and the angleof view of a lens used is not constant. Thus, vignetting can only beprevented through experience. Thus, there is a demand for a tool that aphotographer can grasp stably and that does not cause any vignetting.

The present invention has been made in view of the problems of theconventional techniques and an object thereof is to provide a panoramicphotography head for easily photographing a plurality of images havingdifferent orientations without any vignetting in order to generate apanoramic image and to provide a photography system using the same.

Solution to Problem

In order to solve the problems, the present invention provides thefollowing panoramic photography systems.

That is, an invention disclosed in claim 1 is a panoramic photographysystem for photographing a plurality of images which are used forgenerating a panoramic image and of which the orientations aredifferent, including: a digital camera body that has a lens having apredetermined field of view at a front end thereof and can photograph adigital image; a panoramic photography head connected to a lower surfaceof the digital camera body; a legged platform connected to a lowersurface of the panoramic photography head.

In this configuration, a first connector for connection to the panoramicphotography head is provided on the lower surface of the digital camerabody, and the panoramic photography head includes: an approximatelyhorizontal upper plate having a second connector for realizingnon-rotatably connection to the first connector; a vignetting preventingextension that is bent downward from the upper plate to secure apredetermined gap so as to prevent the panoramic photography head andthe legged platform from being photographed in an image; and a lowerplate that extends approximately horizontally and toward a front sidefrom a lower end of the vignetting preventing extension and has a leggedplatform connector for connection to the legged platform

Moreover, the panoramic photography system is characterized in that thelegged platform connector is positioned vertically under a nodal pointof the lens.

An invention disclosed in claim 2 is characterized in that the leggedplatform is a monopod and the legged platform connector is non-rotatablyconnected to the legged platform.

An invention disclosed in claim 3 is characterized in that the panoramicphotography head further includes: a support plate that extends toward arear side from the lower plate; and a grip that is rotatably supportedso as to extend approximately vertically downward from the support plateand is formed so that a user can grasp.

An invention disclosed in claim 4 is characterized in that thevignetting preventing extension of the panoramic photography head has agrip portion formed so that a user can grasp.

An invention disclosed in claim 5 is characterized in that the lowerplate of the panoramic photography head has an upper surface that isinclined downward as the surface advances toward an outer side.

An invention disclosed in claim 6 is characterized in that the panoramicphotography system further includes an approximately disk-shaped baseplate mounted on a mounting surface, on which a monopod is placed, andeach surface of the base plate includes: a recess in which a lower endof the monopod is placed at a center thereof so that alignment isrealized easily; legs that make contact with the mounting surface at aplurality of contact points; and a direction indicator which includes apolygonal mark and in which a symbol is allocated to a side of thepolygonal mark, the polygonal mark on one surface being different fromthat of the other surface.

The present invention can provide the following panoramic photographyheads.

That is, an invention disclosed in claim 7 is a panoramic photographyhead used together with a digital camera body when photographing aplurality of images which are used for generating a panoramic image andof which the orientations are different, including: an approximatelyhorizontal upper plate having a second connector for realizingnon-rotatably connection to the digital camera body; a vignettingpreventing extension that is bent downward from the upper plate tosecure a predetermined gap so as to prevent the panoramic photographyhead from being photographed in an image; and a lower plate that extendsapproximately horizontally and toward a front side from a lower end ofthe vignetting preventing extension and has a legged platform connectorfor connection to the legged platform.

The panoramic photography head is characterized in that the leggedplatform connector is positioned vertically under a nodal point of alens provided in the digital camera body.

An invention disclosed in claim 8 is characterized in that the panoramicphotography head further includes a support plate that extends toward arear side from the lower plate; and a grip that is rotatably supportedso as to extend approximately vertically downward from the support plateand is formed so that a user can grasp.

An invention disclosed in claim 9 is characterized in that thevignetting preventing extension of the panoramic photography head has agrip portion formed so that a user can grasp.

An invention disclosed in claim 10 is characterized in that the lowerplate of the panoramic photography head has an upper surface that isinclined downward as the surface advances toward an outer side.

Moreover, the present invention may provide a base plate used forphotographing panoramic images.

That is, an invention disclosed in claim 11 is an approximatelydisk-shaped base plate which is mounted on a mounting surface, on whicha monopod is placed, characterized in that each surface of the baseplate includes: a recess in which a lower end of the monopod is placedat a center thereof so that alignment is realized easily; legs that makecontact with the mounting surface at a plurality of contact points; anda direction indicator which includes a polygonal mark and in which asymbol is allocated to a side of the polygonal mark, the polygonal markon one surface being different from that of the other surface.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

With the above-described configurations, the present invention providesthe following advantageous effects.

Since the panoramic photography head according to the present inventionhas the upper plate, the vignetting preventing extension, and the lowerplate which are integrated with each other, it is easy to carry thepanoramic photography head and attach the same to the digital camerabody. Since the legged platform connector of the lower plate ispositioned vertically under the nodal point of the lens provided in thedigital camera body, anyone can photograph a panoramic image withoutadjustment.

In particular, by using a monopod, it is possible to mount the panoramicphotography head of the present invention on the monopod and tophotograph images while grasping the head to change the orientation. Inthis case, the vignetting preventing extension prevents the head, themonopod, and the photographer himself or herself from being photographedin an image and contributes to satisfactory photographing of images.

Further, when a grip is provided in the panoramic photography head, itis possible to photograph panoramic images in a stable position whenperforming photographing without using a legged platform as well asusing the monopod.

By using the base plate provided in the present invention, the monopodcan be aligned accurately due to the recess at the center. In this case,since correct orientations can be aligned sequentially while seeing thepolygonal marks and symbols, the convenience of photographing isimproved with a simple structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a panoramic photography system accordingto the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the panoramic photography system.

FIG. 3 is a left side view of a panoramic photography head according tothe present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the panoramic photography head according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the panoramic photography head according tothe present invention.

FIG. 6 is a right side view of the panoramic photography head accordingto the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another practical example of thepanoramic photography system according to the present invention.

FIGS. 8A to 8C are explanatory views of a base plate according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates a test example of determining the length of avignetting preventing extension according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be describedbased on practical examples illustrated in the drawings. The embodimentis not limited to the below.

The present invention is a panoramic photography system (hereinafterreferred to as the present system) for photographing a plurality ofimages which are used for generating a panoramic image and of which theorientations are different, and has remarkable characteristics in apanoramic photography head (hereinafter referred to as a head), inparticular. FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a portion of thepresent system 1 and FIG. 2 is a front view of the system. FIG. 3 is aleft side view of the head, FIG. 4 is a plan view of the head, FIG. 5 isa bottom view of the head, and FIG. 6 is a right side view of the head.

The present system includes the head 10, a digital camera body 20 havingan ultrawide-angle lens 21 having a predetermined field of view (inparticular, an angle of view larger than 180 degrees) at a front end,and a monopod 30 connected to a lower surface of the head 10.

Since the configurations of the digital camera body 20 and the monopod30 are known, the description thereof will not be provided in thepresent practical example.

An attachment screw hole 23 for connection to a monopod or a tripod isformed in a lower surface 22 of the digital camera body 20 and forms afirst connector of the present invention. Although the attachment screwhole 23 is also provided in many camera bodies 20, in the presentsystem, a positional relation between the attachment screw hole 23 and anodal point 24 of the lens 21 is an important factor, and the shape ofthe head 10 is determined by this positional relation. This will bedescribed later.

The digital camera body 20 is disposed on an upper surface of an upperplate 11 of the head 10 and is fixed by an attachment screw 110 which isa second connector. As illustrated in FIG. 4, linear projections 111 and112 are formed on both left and right sides (both upper and lower sidesin the drawing) of the attachment screw 110 when seen from the frontside of the camera. The projections engage with recesses (notillustrated) formed in the lower surface 22 of the digital camera body20. In this way, the head 10 and the digital camera body 20 aremaintained in a fixed directional relation.

In the panoramic photography system, if both head and body are rotatedunexpectedly, it is not possible to photograph images in a correctdirection, and to obtain images having a required angle of view. Thus,it is important to connect the two components so as not to be rotatableby engaging the projection and the recess of the first and secondconnectors.

The upper plate 11 extends horizontally toward the rear side of thecamera and is bent downward at the rear end thereof. A vignettingpreventing extension 12 extends from the bent portion 113 so as to beslightly inclined toward the front side.

With this inclination, when a photographer grasps the vignettingpreventing extension 12, it is easy to provide the digital camera body20 on the upper side and to perform photographing with no fear of beingphotographed as long as the vignetting preventing extension is grasped.

In this manner, in the present invention, the vignetting preventingextension 12 may ideally perform the function of a grip portion.

The vignetting preventing extension 12 secures a predetermined gapbetween the upper plate 11 and a lower plate 13 connected to the lowerend thereof to prevent the lower plate 13 or the monopod 30 from beingphotographed in a panoramic image.

FIG. 7 illustrates a test example of examining a photographed range whenthe head according to the present invention, a monopod, and a digitalcamera body having an angle of view of 180 degrees. When the lengthbetween an upper end of a monopod and an upper end of a head is 60 mm, aconnecting portion having a diameter of 31 mm between the monopod 30 andthe lower plate 13 is photographed, and an area having a radius of 137mm on a mounting surface becomes a vignette. On the other hand, when thelength is 200 mm, the radius is 62 mm. This difference is remarkablewhen photographing a 360-degree panoramic image. In the presentpractical example, the length of the vignetting preventing extension 12is set to approximately 13 cm based on this test.

In implementation of the present invention, although this length can bechanged arbitrarily, the length is in the range of 60 mm to 200 mm fromthe test results. Moreover, when the vignetting preventing extensionfunctions as a grip portion as described above, the length thereof isideally approximately between 120 mm and 200 mm.

The vignetting preventing extension 12 is a plate having approximatelythe same width as the upper plate 11 and a reinforcement rib 120 extendsfrom a lower portion to the lower plate 13 so as to protrude toward thefront side. With this rib 120, the angle between the vignettingpreventing extension 12 and the lower plate 13 is not misaligned, andimages can be photographed in a stable orientation.

The lower plate 13 is formed approximately horizontally from the lowerend of the vignetting preventing extension 12 so as to extend toward thefront side. In the present practical example, a support plate 14 isformed integrally with the lower plate 13 so as to extend toward therear side further than the vignetting preventing extension 13.

A legged platform screw hole 130 as a legged platform connector forconnection to the monopod is formed in a lower surface of the front endof the lower plate 13, and the lower surface is fixed by a leggedplatform screw that protrudes upward from the monopod 30. The leggedplatform connector and the legged platform preferably engage with eachother so as not to be rotatable so that a universal head that is freelyrotatable is not provided in the monopod.

The connection portion between the lower plate 13 and the monopod 30preferably has a diameter smaller than that of an upper end 31 of themonopod 30, and the monopod 30 itself is preferably as narrow aspossible.

It is the most important point of the present invention that in thisconnection state, the legged platform connector is positioned verticallyunder the nodal point 24 of the lens 21 provided in the digital camerabody.

In the present practical example, since a monopod is used, the leggedplatform screw and the legged platform screw hole 130 are disposed onthe central axis of the monopod, and the upper plate 11 and the lowerplate 13 are disposed so that the nodal point is positioned on theextension line L of the central axis.

As widely known, since the camera photographs images while rotatingabout the nodal point 24, it is possible to generate high-qualitypanoramic images without any distortion.

Since the nodal point is different depending on the lens 21, it isnecessary to determine the position of the attachment screw 110 for eachdigital camera or lens in implementation of the present invention. Thus,it is preferable to use the head 10 having a dedicated design. By doingso, users can use the head easily.

Alternatively, in order to cope with two types of cameras having lenseswith different nodal points, for example, the attachment screw 110 maybe selectively attached to two holes so that users select a hole towhich the attachment screw is to be fixed depending on a camera.

The alternative example is depicted by one-dot chain line in FIG. 2, inwhich an attachment screw 110′ displaced toward the front side from theoriginal attachment screw 110 engages with a screw attachment hole 23′of another digital camera 20′.

As another practical example, the upper plate 11 may be detachable fromthe vignetting preventing extension 12 so that the upper plate 11 onlycan be replaced depending on a digital camera or a lens. In this case,since it is only necessary to replace the upper plate with anothersuitable for a camera or the like, it is possible to provide aresource-saving and low-cost head.

In the present practical example, the support plate 14 rotatablysupports a grip 15. The grip 15 has a sponge-shaped non-slip coating onthe surface thereof so that a photographer can grasp the grip 15reliably. Since the grip 15 formed such that a user can grasp isprovided, even when the camera is at a high position, the camera can beheld stably.

The grip 15 may not rotate but may be fixed to the support plate.

A level 140 may be provided on an upper surface of the support plate 14.In panoramic photography, a camera needs to maintain an accuratehorizontal position, and a camera, a tripod, and the like having a levelhave been proposed from the past.

However, it is generally difficult for photographers to take a stablephotographing position while checking the level, which becomes thecauses of a tilt or a shake of a camera when a monopod as in the presentpractical example is used.

In the present practical example, since the level is providedimmediately above the grip 15, photographers can perform horizontalalignment immediately and perform photographing with high precision.

The level may be provided on the upper surface of the lower plate 13 oron the rear-side surface of the vignetting preventing extension 12.

In the present invention, since it is assumed that the ultrawide-anglelens 21 is used in the digital camera body 20, structures for preventingthe entrance of reflection light immediately from below the lens 21 andthe occurrence of vignetting are employed.

As a first structure, corner portions 114 and 115 of the upper plate 11are formed in a square and round form. By doing so, the corner portions114 and 115 are prevented from being photographed in an image and theentrance of reflection light from the upper surface of the cornerportions 114 and 115 is prevented.

As a second structure, an upper surface of the lower plate 13 isinclined downward as the surface advances toward the outer side. Asobvious from FIG. 1, mountain-side inclined portions 131 and 132 areprovided on both left and right sides of a portion disposed closer tothe front side than the connection portion between the vignettingpreventing extension 12 and the lower plate, and an inclined portion 133that is inclined toward the left, right, and front sides is provided ina front end of the lower plate.

By doing so, even when the sunlight or illumination light enters thelower plate from above, the reflection light is reflected toward theouter side and is prevented from entering the lens 21.

Similarly, in order to prevent reflection of light, the head ispreferably coated with a low-reflective paint or subjected to anti-glaresurface treatment, and a paint having a color such as black that rarelyreflects light is preferably used.

Moreover, in the present practical example, a thick portion 134 of thelower plate 13 is inclined toward the front side so that vignettingoccurs rarely. As described above, the size of the thick portion 134 ispreferably the same as or smaller than the size of the upper end of themonopod 30. In the present practical example, the thick portion isrecessed closer to the inner side of the lower plate 13 than the upperend 131.

In the practical example, the vignetting preventing extension 12 ispositioned on the rear side of the upper plate 11. This configuration isideal because, when the photographer grasps the vignetting preventingextension 12 with his or her hand, the hand is rarely photographed in animage.

On the other hand, the vignetting preventing extension 12 may bepositioned on the front side of the upper plate as long as this does notcause any problem in implementation of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates another practical example corresponding to thisconfiguration. A head 10′ includes a vignetting preventing extension 12′that extends downward by being bent at a front end thereof, a lowerplate 13′ that extends toward the front side from a lower end of thevignetting preventing extension 12′, and a support plate 14′ that facesa rear side of the lower plate 13′.

In this configuration, the legged platform connector 130 of the lowerplate 13′ is positioned vertically under the nodal point 24 of the lens21 similarly to the above. Moreover, since the vignetting preventingextension 12′ is retracted as much as possible near the digital camerabody 20 and is inclined toward the front side so as to follow an angleof view, it is possible to prevent the vignetting preventing extensionfrom being photographed in an image.

Further, since a concave surface is formed in an upper portion of thefront surface of the vignetting preventing extension 12′, it is possibleto prevent vignetting and to prevent bending of the vignettingpreventing extension 12′.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of a base plate 40 according to thepresent invention. This base plate 40 is used together with thepanoramic photography system and is mounted on a mounting surface suchas a ground surface or a floor, and the lower end leg of a monopod isplaced on the base plate.

The base plate has a generally disk shape and three rubber legs 43 areattached to side surfaces of both front and rear surfaces 41 and 42. Thethree legs are stable and a monopod can be stably held when the monopodis placed thereon. Moreover, due to the rubber legs, scratches on thefloor surface can be prevented even when the monopod rotates on the baseplate.

In the present practical example, a triangular mark is formed on thefront surface 41, a rectangular mark is formed on the rear surface 42,and numbers 440 to 442 and 450 to 453 are allocated to respective sidesof the triangular and rectangular marks, respectively. Moreover, arecess 46 with which the leg of the monopod makes contact is formed atthe center, and the monopod rotates easily when the leg is aligned atthe recess.

During photographing, an orientation may be determined by rotating themonopod so that respective sides are horizontal when seen from aphotographer. In particular, by photographing images sequentially innumerical order, it is possible to perform photographing a necessary andsufficient number of times without being confused on the photographingorientation.

In the present practical example, although numbers 1 to 3 and 1 to 4 areused, optional symbols may be used as long as users can understand thesequence of the symbols.

Panoramic images are often generated by photographing images in aboutthree to six directions and combining the photographed images. When awide-angle lens having an angle of view larger than 200 degrees as inthe digital camera body 20 used in the present invention is used, imagescan be superimposed sufficiently using the base plate 40 having two tofour directions. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time and laborincurred in photographing.

Naturally, the polygonal mark formed on the base plate 40 is optional.For example, hexagonal and octagonal marks may be used. The more thenumber of sides of a polygon, the higher the need of the symbols.

When images are photographed in two directions, although the rectangularmark may be used as a substitute, only one line may be formed on thebase plate.

In the present practical example, although the entire panoramicphotography system has been described, the present invention may beprovided as the panoramic photography head 10 only or the base plate 40only depending on implementation.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   -   1: Panoramic photography system    -   10: Panoramic photography head    -   11: Upper plate    -   12: Vignetting preventing extension    -   13: Lower plate    -   14: Support plate    -   15: Grip    -   20: Digital camera body    -   21: Lens    -   30: Monopod    -   40: Base plate

1.-9. (canceled)
 10. A panoramic photography system for photographing a plurality of images which are used for generating a panoramic image and of which the orientations are different, comprising: a digital camera body that has a lens having a predetermined field of view at a front end thereof and can photograph a digital image; a panoramic photography head connected to a lower surface of the digital camera body; a legged platform connected to a lower surface of the panoramic photography head, wherein a first connector for connection to the panoramic photography head is provided on the lower surface of the digital camera body, the panoramic photography head includes: an approximately horizontal upper plate having a second connector for realizing non-rotatably connection to the first connector; a vignetting preventing extension that is bent downward from the upper plate to secure a predetermined gap so as to prevent the panoramic photography head and the legged platform from being photographed in an image; and a lower plate that extends approximately horizontally and toward a front side from a lower end of the vignetting preventing extension and has a legged platform connector for connection to the legged platform, the lower plate having an upper surface that is inclined downward as the surface advances toward an outer side, and the legged platform connector is positioned vertically under a nodal point of the lens.
 11. A panoramic photography system for photographing a plurality of images which are used for generating a panoramic image and of which the orientations are different, comprising: a digital camera body that has a lens having a predetermined field of view at a front end thereof and can photograph a digital image; a panoramic photography head connected to a lower surface of the digital camera body; a legged platform connected to a lower surface of the panoramic photography head, wherein a first connector for connection to the panoramic photography head is provided on the lower surface of the digital camera body, the panoramic photography head includes: an approximately horizontal upper plate having a second connector for realizing non-rotatably connection to the first connector; a vignetting preventing extension that is bent downward from the upper plate to secure a predetermined gap so as to prevent the panoramic photography head and the legged platform from being photographed in an image, the vignetting preventing extension having a grip portion formed so that a user can grasp; and a lower plate that extends approximately horizontally and toward a front side from a lower end of the vignetting preventing extension and has a legged platform connector for connection to the legged platform, and the legged platform connector is positioned vertically under a nodal point of the lens.
 12. The panoramic photography system according to claim 10, wherein the legged platform is a monopod and the legged platform connector is non-rotatably connected to the legged platform.
 13. The panoramic photography system according to claim 11, wherein the legged platform is a monopod and the legged platform connector is non-rotatably connected to the legged platform.
 14. The panoramic photography system according to claim 10, further comprising: a support plate that extends toward a rear side from the lower plate; and a grip that is rotatably supported so as to extend approximately vertically downward from the support plate and is formed so that a user can grasp.
 15. The panoramic photography system according to claim 11, further comprising: a support plate that extends toward a rear side from the lower plate; and a grip that is rotatably supported so as to extend approximately vertically downward from the support plate and is formed so that a user can grasp.
 16. The panoramic photography system according to claim 11, further comprising: an approximately disk-shaped base plate mounted on a mounting surface, on which a monopod is placed, wherein each surface of the base plate includes: a recess in which a lower end of the monopod is placed at a center thereof so that alignment is realized easily; legs that make contact with the mounting surface at a plurality of contact points; and a direction indicator which includes a polygonal mark and in which a symbol is allocated to a side of the polygonal mark, the polygonal mark on one surface being different from that of the other surface.
 17. A panoramic photography head used together with a digital camera body when photographing a plurality of images which are used for generating a panoramic image and of which the orientations are different, comprising: an approximately horizontal upper plate having a second connector for realizing non-rotatably connection to the digital camera body; a vignetting preventing extension that is bent downward from the upper plate to secure a predetermined gap so as to prevent the panoramic photography head from being photographed in an image; and a lower plate that extends approximately horizontally and toward a front side from a lower end of the vignetting preventing extension and has a legged platform connector for connection to a legged platform, the lower plate having an upper surface that is inclined downward as the surface advances toward an outer side, and the legged platform connector is positioned vertically under a nodal point of a lens provided in the digital camera body.
 18. A panoramic photography head used together with a digital camera body when photographing a plurality of images which are used for generating a panoramic image and of which the orientations are different, comprising: an approximately horizontal upper plate having a second connector for realizing non-rotatably connection to the digital camera body; a vignetting preventing extension that is bent downward from the upper plate to secure a predetermined gap so as to prevent the panoramic photography head and the legged platform from being photographed in an image, the vignetting preventing extension having a grip portion formed so that a user can grasp; and a lower plate that extends approximately horizontally and toward a front side from a lower end of the vignetting preventing extension and has a legged platform connector for connection to a legged platform, and the legged platform connector is positioned vertically under a nodal point of a lens provided in the digital camera body.
 19. The panoramic photography head according to claim 18, further comprising: a support plate that extends toward a rear side from the lower plate; and a grip that is rotatably supported so as to extend approximately vertically downward from the support plate and is formed so that a user can grasp.
 20. An approximately disk-shaped base plate which is mounted on a mounting surface, on which a monopod is placed, the base plate being used for photographing a panoramic image, wherein each surface of the base plate includes: a recess in which a lower end of the monopod is placed at a center thereof so that alignment is realized easily; legs that make contact with the mounting surface at a plurality of contact points; and a direction indicator which includes a polygonal mark and in which a symbol is allocated to a side of the polygonal mark, the polygonal mark on one surface being different from that of the other surface. 